Tuesday, March 22, 2011

With drowning, being one of the major causes of death nowadays, it is safer if you will assure the safety and cleanliness of any public pool that we are going to swim or dive at. Remember, it is good to trust the owner of those pools but to double check will make no harm to anyone. So here's what you have to do when dealing with public pools:

Check for drain covers. You can ask the pool maintenance or any authorized person in the pool if the swimming pool has modern and anti-entrapment drain covers. In the United States, having such kind of drains are requires by the Federal Law. But if you are in other place aside from the U.S., it doesn't mean that you don't have to check or look for it. Accident happens anytime and anywhere so better be vigilant because danger could be there wherever you are.

Check for the water chemistry. Before going to your destination, make sure to check the swimming pool's local health inspection history. Reports about the water can give you the idea if the place that you are going to is safe or not. Proper pool chemistry to prevent water illnesses and disease caused by bacteria, viruses and other harmful microorganisms are being enforced by the local health officials so you can ask them to help you. Just in case you don't have time to do it, you can check the pool water's chemistry as soon as you arrive. Use a water-testing strip. Dip it into the pool and it will tell you the water's acid and alkaline level/chemistry after few minutes.

Check for detection systems for drowning. Don't forget to ask if the pool has a Drowning Detection System. Drowning detection system are above-the-water cameras which determine the positions and locations to know whether a swimmer is suffering from drowning. As soon as the system suspects that someone is in danger, it will quickly give alert to the lifeguard as it gives the exact location of the swimmer.

Check for their Proof of Certification. Public swimming pools must have a certification from NSF (formerly the National Safety Foundation, now known solely by its acronym) which is a partner of World Health Organization on the Swim Safer program that voluntarily evaluates the pool safety and cleanliness of swimming pools. With their evaluation like on-site water testing, filtration system assessment, and pool deck verification, you are guaranteed that the swimming pool is safe and clean to swim at.